Swiss tourist gangraped in MP

A 38-year-old Swiss national, who was taking a bicycle tour through Madhya Pradesh, was gang-raped, beaten up and robbed at gunpoint by more than six men on Friday night.

The victim, who resides in Lausanne, Switzerland, was with her husband when the horrific incident took place.

The two were cycling from Orchha, a heritage tourism spot, to Agra when they decided to camp in a jungle near Jhadia village.

Around 9pm, the criminals, mostly in their 20s, broke into their camp, handcuffed the husband and raped the woman. They then fled with their mobile phones, a laptop and Rs. 10,000.

Battered and bruised, the couple took a lift from a passerby and reached the police station in Datia district, from where they were taken to the hospital. A medical examination confirmed rape by multiple people.

Deputy inspector-general of police DK Arya said an operation had been launched to track down the criminals.

The Swiss embassy also got in touch with authorities in Madhya Pradesh and requested a 'swift' probe into the incident, which is likely to harm the image of the state, popularly called the 'Heart of Incredible India'.

The woman, a teacher, and her husband, a plumber, arrived in Mumbai from Iran on February 12 and were on a bicycle tour since then. They had avoided going to Pakistan, thinking it would be unsafe.